Uber and Lyft Plans To Pursue A Crowdsourced Bus Startup, Skedaddle

Many ride-hailing companies want to build businesses to cover every mode of transit including scooters and bikes for short distances, large vehicles like a bus for intercity travels etc.  According to the sources, Uber has been planning to acquire Skedaddle, a crowdsourced bus startup for more than a month. Lately, Skedaddle was in talks with even Lyft. The companies refuse to comment on any acquisition news.

Skedaddle, launched in 2015 provides intercity rideshare, a low cost and easy way to travel to visit a new place or attend any festivals or events like concerts or music festivals out-of-town. It lets individual crowdsource private bus rides. Once there is a demand of ride to a particular destination, for instance, a hiking spot or a famous monument, the bus booking is done. Then, the bus picks up the confirmed riders for the scheduled trip.

The company gained huge popularity and media attention when its bus services took a tour to Women’s march in Washington D.C, a trip that involved more than 11,000 passengers. Uber and Lyft, both the companies are trying to acquire Skedaddle, with an intention of expanding its business. And a bus service is a missing thing for both the giants. Both the companies have recently closed successful deals; Uber acquired JUMP bikes for around $200 million and recently, Lyft closed an acquisition deal with Motivate, the oldest and largest bike share company in North America.